Citizen Participation in the Restoration of Old Havana

Abstract: The city district Old Havana that is on the World Heritage List because of its Spanish colonial architecture is undergoing a restoration project of great size. The project is run by the Office of the City Historian, which in Cuban proportions, is independent the state. Instead the Office is self-financed by the profits out of the 1,5 million annual tourists that visit the already, with its 63000 inhabitants, overcrowded Old Havana.  Alongside the restoration of the deteriorated buildings, the goal is to make it without resettling the current residents. Instead the aim is to involve the citizens in the planning processes to make them participate, which is not a well-tried approach in Cuban planning. This report, based on a field study in Old Havana, investigates what methods for participative planning are used by the Office and to what extent the residents see that they have the possibility to take part.